College
by Mrs. Wilbur Robinson
Summary: Franny and Cornelius at university, with all their ups and downs. Major fluffy romance warning, if such a thing exists. Please R&R!
1. Curses

**_A/N: Heya. Another random story from Mrs. Wilbur Robinson! Yay! This one should carry on to be more than a few chapters long, I'm hoping. Please remember to review- it only takes a minute to write what you loved, what you liked, and what you think needs work, so REVIEW already! I don't own Franny or Cornelius, but everyone else I do. Uhm...oh yeah, Cornelius is 21, Franny 19._**

* * *

Franny Framagucci hurriedly pushed past throngs of people in the corridors, earning more than a few unkind looks from the other students. Her appearance suggested someone not to be trifled with. Even with the softening eye makeup, red lip gloss and cute layered outfit, her expression gave the impression that she wanted something to kill. 

Scanning door numbers for a hint as to where her first class could be, she clutched her files to her chest protectively and pulled down her skirt from where it had ridden up, again. Her hectic first day in college was already off to a bad start, and Franny had worn out her fingernails from constant biting. 

Franny's terrible mood climbed into unexplored heights when she tripped over someone's stray foot, sending her crashing face-first onto the floor, books scattering everywhere. Grumbling some of her choicest swear words under her breath, she pushed herself up as an extremely apologetic girl around Franny's age rushed to scoop up the littered papers. 

"I- I am _so sorry_- I didn't mean to- _complete _accident-" she stammered, refusing to meet Franny's eyes. Franny sighed and shook her head, rubbing her now sore elbow as she gathered her things together. 

"Nevermind. I shouldn't be running anyway in a crowded place like this," Franny muttered. She glanced at her watch again and alarm took over. "Dammit! I've never been late to a class before, and now I'm gonna miss my first ever lecture-"

"A lecture? Do you have Molecular Biology? I was just going there myself," said the small girl brightly, less embarrassed now that the conversation had moved away from her. Franny pushed her long ebony hair out of her face and gave a small smile.

"Uhm, yes. Well, we better hurry," she said, starting back down the hallway. The girl quickly grabbed Franny's arm, then released it when Franny shot her the most irritated look she could muster. "_What?"_

"It's- um- the other way."

Franny looked like she was about to burst into tears. The girl made a quick decision, and grabbed Franny's arm again, marching her back down the corridor to a chorus of other people's sniggers. Franny took a couple of deep breaths and surveyed her new acquaintance. 

She was fairly short, as she looked just over 5 feet tall. She had chocolate brown hair that was pulled into a short ponytail, with heavy bangs that fell into her dark brown eyes. She had smooth, freckled skin, and fairly average looks. She looked tiny next to Franny, which probably explained some of the earlier nervousness. 

The small, dainty girl pulled the tall, tanned young woman around yet another corner, and let her arm fall back to her side as their classroom loomed into view. Franny gave her a small smile, then shifted a few files so she could extend a friendly hand.

"Thankyou. I'm Franny, by the way."

The girl looked apprehensively at the offered hand, as if she was unsure whether or not Franny had forgiven her for her earlier klutziness. Taking it timidly, she said, 

"...Uhm, nice to meet you, Franny. I-I'm Mandy. You wanna go in now?" 

Franny nodded, pushing open the door. She paused slightly before entering, just observing the new surrowndings. Mandy poked her in the back, forcing both girls through the door. The elderly professor raised an eyebrow in question, and Franny shrugged before grinning sheepishly. The professor, Mr. Thomas, just chuckled slightly before turning back to the massive whiteboard. Franny heard Mandy give a small sigh of relief, and they both began to carefully pick their way through occupied chairs. Sitting down tiredly in an empty seat, and mindful of the many sets of eyes trained in their direction, Franny tried to focus her mind on the subject. 

She had just finished copying down Mandy's notes half an hour later when someone knocked on the door.

* * *

_10 minutes earlier..._

Cornelius slammed on the brakes of his old Toyota Hilux, cursing himself for being late. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbing his backpack from the passenger seat and hurling himself out of the car. Drizzling rain began to fleck the man's face, darkening his mood as he slammed the door shut. 

_On all of the days I had to sleep through my alarm, why _this _one! _He thought to himself angrily, fumbling with his set of keys. Getting more agitated by the second, he thrust a random one into the socket and crossed his fingers. It clicked. Sighing gratefully, he yanked it out again, then checked his watch. He groaned, and strode across the deserted carpark. There was no point hurrying now, being a few more minutes late wouldn't make a difference.

Running a hand through his unruly hair, Cornelius climbed up the steps and into the massive campus before he realised that he had no idea what seminar he was in first. Stomping his foot most childishly, Cornelius dropped his backpack in the empty hallway and rifled through a load of books for his timetable. Ripping it from a neatly organised folder, he scanned it furiously. 

Exhaling loudly, he stuffed the timetable in his bag again, swinging it over his broad shoulders. Molecular Biology. Easy. After attending college for years, he knew his way around the place. And he knew that Mr. Thomas was the softest professor in the building. Shaking droplets of water from his hair, he paced up a set of stairs and through a number of hallways. Finding door number 26, he knocked briefly and entered.

* * *

Franny didn't look up from her (or rather, Mandy's) notes as the professor was interrupted yet again. She half-registered some murmured apologies, but it was Mandy's giggling and nudge in the ribs that made her glance in the direction of the door. 

A tall young man, about her age, was speaking quietly to the professor. He was wearing an large college jumper which suited his lean frame, and long, faded blue jeans. He had the most endearing blonde hair, which stood in loose spikes around his head. He was clean-shaven, and had a defined chin and a long, straight nose. His sparkling blue eyes were unhindered by glasses, and complimented his pale skin perfectly. Franny devoured the sight of a raindrop running the length of his neck. 

Mandy glanced over at her new ally, and had to elbow Franny again. She was staring at Cornelius Robinson open-mouthed, and hadn't even noticed. Franny blushed furiously, but continued to watch from the corner of her eye as the boy sat down quickly in a front row seat. She wasn't the only one. Franny counted four other girls sneaking glances at the famous scientist. 

_Since when had little 'Lewis' decided to break a million girl's hearts? _She wondered, chewing on a pencil as she contemplated the back of his head. _I suppose _anyone_ would grow up if you hadn't seen them for 4 years, _she told herself silently. Mandy was still stifling a giggle behind her hand. Franny rolled her eyes and watched as Cornelius pulled a pair of glasses from his backpack. He must still need them for reading, she reflected on thoughtfully, before mentally slapping herself. She couldn't _believe _that just one guy was breaking her focus in the class she truly wanted to excel in. Franny turned her attention back to the whiteboard and Mr. Thomas' droning voice, but soon found a certain someone proving to be a lot more interesting. 

* * *

Cornelius adjusted his glasses, and rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't shake the strange feeling that someone was watching him. Turning slightly in his chair, he examined the body of people behind him. Immediately he noticed at least three people shift in their seats. _Weird_. Cornelius was about to turn back around when someone caught his eye. She blushed and ducked her head, staring at her notes. Cornelius squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of her face. Turning back around quickly, his heart thumping loudly in his chest- if he wasn't much mistaken, he had just caught _Franny Framagucci_ staring at him. He grinned. 

Today was about to get a whole lot better.

* * *


	2. Stress

**_A/N: Hey all! Listen, truth is, I have no idea where this story is going. So FEEL FREE to drop me plot lines!! Until someone does (make sure that it contains tons of fluff!), I'll just go where the keyboard takes me. Enjoy!_**

* * *

Cornelius stared blankly up at the whiteboard, not really seeing it. Mr. Thomas would probably ask him to approve and explain the jumbled equations in a minute, but the preoccupied teacher's aid couldn't care less at that moment. Not that he didn't want to learn, in fact, he was quite the opposite. The whole reason Cornelius was so successful in his inventing was that he loved exploring every aspect of science, so he could apply this broad knowledge to anything he wished to make. This compulsion for new experiences had led him to attend several years' worth of different university courses, as he expanded and padded out his understanding. After incessantly pointing out errors and flaws made by aggravated teachers, Cornelius had been declared an unofficial instructor himself. His whole life basically revolved around learning and putting new skills into practice on his inventions; it would usually take something quite remarkable to distract him- especially on the very first day of class. Franny Framagucci, to be precise.

Cornelius pushed his glasses back up his nose, thinking things through. One could read too much into these little incidents, but the poor boy wasn't getting much from it at all. Since when did hot girls make it a hobby to stare at well-known science nerds? True, they hadn't seen each other for far too long; maybe she just thought he looked familiar. _Maybe I've got a bug squished in my hair that she found repulsive, _Cornelius wondered. He ran a hand through his still damp locks, unknowingly flicking water all over the files of the student behind him. He sighed, glancing back up at the whiteboard while he clicked his pen. _Maybe I'll go say 'hi' to her later…_

* * *

_Oh God. He saw me looking, _Franny thought quickly, feeling her cheeks burn scarlet. _What will he think?! Hang on, calm down Franny. It's not like he caught you making out with a picture of him, or anything. _That thought brought her back down from her panicky state, and she smirked slightly at the mental image it created. Looking back at the professor, Franny realised that she had little clue as to what he was talking about, and the whiteboard markings didn't ease her confusion. _And on my first day, too, _she grumbled. Heaving a frustrated sigh, she dropped her pen and rubbed her temples with delicate fingers. If this became a regular occurrence, she might just need a tutor. Resisting the urge to look once more at a certain blonde's head, Franny devoted her full attention to the lesson. Well…most of it.

* * *

He barely heard the noise of dozens of chairs scraping across the hard, wooden floor. Startled, Cornelius jumped from his seat and crammed his glasses and half-finished notes into his already-full backpack. _Since when did _I_ daydream in class_, he wondered, holding the door open for the multitude of people passing by. The room gradually cleared, until the elderly professor himself nodded gratefully as he walked out into the hallway.

Cornelius was just about to follow suit when he heard the echoing slam of books against floorboards. He turned in the nearly empty room, and watched curiously for a second as Franny Framagucci feverishly scribbled down the notes on the whiteboard with red eyes. Another girl he'd never seen before was patiently picking up the fallen books. Cornelius warily took a step towards the pair, his loud footstep alerting them to his presence. Franny's head whipped up, her eyes widened and she began writing faster than before. The brunette girl smiled at him and whispered something to Franny, then gathered up her things and quietly slipped out the door.

Cornelius swallowed, realizing that he was alone with a stressed Franny in a deserted classroom. His felt like his heart was dancing to heavy metal against his ribcage. The thing was, he was pretty terrible with comforting just about anyone- however, it would seem incredibly rude to just wave goodbye and walk out. _But her friend did that, didn't she? Whatever's the matter, it can't be all that bad. Even so…_ Cornelius rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, and slowly made his way over to where she was sitting.

* * *

"I'll see you in a bit, OK?" Mandy whispered as she hoisted her bag over a slim shoulder. Franny bit down on her lip, and nodded once. She could feel Cornelius' eyes on her, but she did her best to ignore him while copying down the notes on the board. _You are such an _idiot_, Franny! All you had to do was pay attention, just for a couple of hours. That was it. Instead, you wasted your time doodling over your notes, and drooling over some guy- who happens to be looking at you right now, probably thinking how incredibly stupid you are for not understanding a simple class. Way to go._

Franny put a hand over her eyes, and took a few shuddering breaths. _You are not going to cry. You are not. It's just been one of those days, and you need to get past it like all the others. _Opening her eyes, Franny was startled to realise that Cornelius had sat down next to her, watching her with concerned eyes. She blinked repeatedly, and scrambled to gather up all her stuff.

"…You OK, Fran?"

She stopped. He had sounded remarkably like her father, before she had left the house that morning. Franny turned her head, and smiled tiredly at him.

"I'm…fine, Lewis."

"Lewis?" Cornelius said, raising an eyebrow and as the corners of his mouth twitched. "I haven't been called that by anyone for years. And I can clearly see you're upset, so don't tell me otherwise."

"Just been a bad day. I don't expect you to understand what it's like feeling stupid."

"Why do you say that?"

She stared incredulously at him. "Do you want me to go through the list? You're smarter than Einstein, yet here you are, calling yourself stupid?!"

"Einstein? I wish. I just build things that help people."

"You know what I mean."

Cornelius sighed. "Listen. Life for me isn't the bunch of roses you seem to think it is. How many times have you read in the newspaper about my inventions blowing up in my face? I still have the scars! Can you image how incredibly _stupid_ I feel as I sit, waiting in the emergency room? When everything I try doesn't work, but I know the answer's right in front of me! I fail more than I succeed, which makes me feel thicker than your average village idiot. But I believe that those successes are worth the risk of failure, so I try again. And again. So yes, I know what it is like to feel stupid."

Franny mulled this over. "…OK, so maybe you do. But everything you have trouble with makes all my problems look so small in comparison, and silly because I struggle with them."

"Like what?"

"Well…"

"Fire away. What's wrong?"

"…I don't understand any of this," Franny said dejectedly, gesturing to all the notes and textbooks around her.

"Molecular Bio?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. What do you need it for? I mean, what kind of a career do you want that involves this specific subject?"

Franny blushed. She hoped he wouldn't ask about this. It always seemed so childish.

"My frogs," she whispered.

"Huh? Sorry, didn't catch that."

"Remember my frogs? And how I firmly believed in their 'musical talent'?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well, I still do. I want to go into research on genetic engineering. I have a part-time job in my mum's musical theatre, which has really helped pay the college fees. And I can now play and tell you all there is to know about brass and wind instruments. I wrote a paper on all the research I've gathered about the frogs so far, but I'm need to pass this course to really go anywhere with it."

Franny sat there with her cheeks burning as Cornelius let this information digest. Franny knew it was all really just a dream, a goal that would take decades to accomplish- if it ever happened at all. Frogs couldn't talk, let alone sing and play instruments. But she was going to make them.

"I think it's brilliant."

"What?"

"Hardly anyone I've talked to really knows what they want to do with their lives. You've chosen a task, something you firmly believe in, something you love, and you're taking the steps to fulfill that task. Like I said, I think it's brilliant, Franny. And if you really applied yourself, I would bet money that it would work."

"Really?"

"Seriously."

For Franny, hearing these words from him meant quite a lot. Not that she would tell him that.

"That's all very well and good, but I didn't even understand our first class!" She complained, as Cornelius leaned over to take a look at her notes.

"Were you listening?"

"What do you mean? Of course I was-" Franny stopped as Cornelius fished out the multiple sketches and drawings on some of her work. Most were harmless, but she knew that if he happened to go back another two pages, he would see his name- outlined and decorated with hearts in the center of the page. Snatching back the pages, Franny turned red again and put them in the back of a file. Cornelius smirked.

"I'm sure you could excel in this class if you paid more attention. I should tell Mr. Thomas to liven up his lectures before we all fall asleep."

"Teacher's pet."

"Teacher's _aid_, I think you mean. Not much difference, though."

Franny giggled, and they sat in companionable silence for a moment. Cornelius cleared his throat, leaning back in his chair. "I, uhm, saw you in the news last year for that music award."

"Oh yeah, it was really cool. My mum recorded the interview and everything, like all mums do."

"Mmm. The picture didn't do you justice."

Franny blushed. She opened her mouth to comment on how his hair remained the only thing unchanged since she'd seen him last, when his stomach grumbled. They both laughed.

"I guess that means I better get moving. No breakfast, either."

"Why were you late to class?"

"Forgot to set my stupid alarm. Then I had to stop and re-fuel on the way here- the gas needle was just on the verge of empty."

"You have a car?!"

"Yeah, a pretty crap one. I'm in the middle of upgrading it."

"Upgrading…?"

"I'll show you later, if you want. I'm trying to build a new motor that should really cut back on all the old greenhouse gas emissions," Cornelius said as he stood up. Franny began gathering all her things together as she marveled at his genius. They walked together slowly over to the door. She smiled at him.

"It's really nice to see you again, Lewis."

He leaned against the doorframe and grinned at her. "I was about to say the same thing to you. You feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you. Just don't catch me drawing again when I want to whine about my misunderstanding of Molecular Bio. That was too embarrassing."

"Yes ma'am."

Cornelius opened the door and motioned for her to go first into the crowded hallway. She caught a hint of his aftershave as she brushed by him, and she felt like stealing his jumper so she could smell it some more. She pushed her hair out of her face as he checked his watch, and she glanced around for a sign of Mandy.

"Sorry Fran, but I really gotta go. I have a company meeting in about 15 minutes-"

"It's fine. Go have fun, you big nerd."

Cornelius smiled down at her again, and grasped her hand briefly as he left. Franny watched him go, and sighed dreamily.

"What were you two _doing_ in there?!"

Franny looked around, and laughed when she saw Mandy's face inches from her own.

"Nothing happened. We just talked," Franny said as they started down the long corridor.

"You expect me to believe that? After the state I left you in?"

"I wasn't that bad, was I?"

Mandy shrugged. "Hmm. Let me put it this way- he must give one hell of a pep-talk."

* * *

Cornelius chewed on a carrot stick as his manager talked his staff through their latest production line. It was rather boring, since he knew every detail already. Letting his mind wander, Cornelius found himself thinking of his small chat with Franny. _Maybe you should have asked about earlier, in class…how she was staring at you. _He dismissed the idea. _I guess it's kinda obvious now. _

He opened the organizer in front of him, discreetly taking a sheet of paper from his jeans pocket. Slipping it into the folder, he examined it on the pretext of looking over their sales figures. It was one of the scrap pieces of paper he had looked at from Franny's notebook, which he had found quite interesting. Cornelius traced the large, wavy letters of his name with a long finger, letting his hand rest on a sketched heart. He grinned.

* * *

"Did you see Mr. Robinson during that meeting?"

"Yeah…I've never seen anyone enjoy a carrot stick so much."


	3. Indiana Jones

**_A/N: Salutations, readers. Hope this keeps you people occupied until I can scrounge up more ideas. Franny and Lewis have been seeing each other at uni for about a week now, hope this doesnt seem too random. X3_**

* * *

Franny sat in her room, staring at the phone while she twisted the cord around her manicured fingers. She reached over to pick it up, hesitated, and put her hand back down. She'd been doing this for almost twenty minutes now, but she felt the urge to call was just too powerful this time. Franny bit her lip, running a hand through her hair as she looked through the address book again…not that she needed it. His phone number was imprinted on her brain.

_Hey, Lewis, it's me- Franny. There's a new movie out, I was just wondering…I mean, we can go as friends…_ she sighed, groaning. It was a whole new experience for her- having to ask someone out instead of being asked out- and she was beginning to see men in a whole new light.

_Hi there! You been the cinemas recently? I heard there's a new flick out, and I couldn't bunch together a group of friends, so I was wondering if just you and me…?_ She sighed at the obvious transparency of the sentence, and punched the lime green pillow in her lap. _Lewis, it's Franny. I would just like to say that you're the most amazing guy I've ever met, and want to have your babies. What say you? _She grinned, rolling her eyes at her own conscience. _Real smooth, Franster. _

Franny picked up the phone and punched in all but the last number, staring at it hard. It came as quite a shock when her mobile went crazy in that moment, jolting her from her reverie. She answered it, and was rather surprised to hear the one person she couldn't work up the courage to talk to on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Franny, it's me, Lewis."

"Oh," she blushed, and opened her mouth to speak her well-rehearsed lines. He interrupted, saying somewhat nervously:

"I need to say this before I never do, because I've never actually had much experience with this sort of thing because I'm the nerdy science kind of guy, but I think you're worth it, and it's not altogether a big deal, though it would mean a lot to me-"

"Lewis, you're rambling."

He chuckled, and exhaled. "Sorry. What I was meant to say was…do you wanna go to the movies sometime? With me?"

Franny's eyes went wide, and she squeaked, "Just...give me one second." Putting the handset down, Franny picked up her pillow and held it against her face as she squealed in delight. She kicked her legs against the bed and beamed at all the assorted plush frogs decorating her room. Only when she had calmed down sufficiently did she pick her mobile up again, lying down on her bed as she held it against her smiling face.

"Sorry about that, some minor…technical difficulties acting up. I would love to go with you."

"Really? That's fantastic!…hang on," Lewis grinned in that lovely low voice of his, and she could make out some sounds in the background of what she guessed was his office. It only just occurred to Franny that he may be doing the same victory jig she had just danced.

"I'm back. Technical difficulties, dunno what's wrong with the phones today, they're all acting up. When are you free?"

She reached over for her journal, flicking it open to this week. "Hmm. I've got nothing on tonight, and Sunday evening."

"Do you mind if we go tonight? I'm kinda busy on the weekend."

"Not a problem," Franny smiled, and they each said their goodbyes and hung up. Franny leapt to her feet again, spinning in a tight circle before her mobile rang for the second time.

"Hey, it's Lewis. I'll pick you up at eight. Same address?"

She blushed, having completely forgotten about 'minor' details of the date. "Yes. Sounds good, I'll be ready."

"Perfect. Any movie you wanna see in particular?"

"I don't suppose you're into romantic comedies?" She said sweetly. Lewis paused, and she laughed. "What about Indiana Jones, then?"

"Can't wait," Lewis grinned down the receiver.

"Cool. Now, have we forgotten anything before I hang up?"

"I believe not."

Franny rolled her eyes. "See ya at eight, Lew."

Before her mobile hit the bed covers, Franny was already halfway to her wardrobe. _Now comes the tricky bit_…she thought, hands on her hips as she admired her extensive collection of outfits. _What to wear, what to wear. At least I've got about four hours._

* * *

_Crap! He's gonna be here in five minutes! _Franny thought fretfully, racing about of the bathroom with soaking wet hair and nothing on but a towel. She shut her bedroom door firmly before throwing the towel in the hamper, hurriedly trying to stuff herself into the clothes laid out on the bed. She had -after half an hour of deliberation- decided on a plain black tee underneath a form-fitting cream sweater, her brand new black jeans, ballet flats and some simple gold bracelets. Nothing too fancy, for a first date. Her hair would have to be loose, seeing as she had no time to do anything with it. Finally dressed, Franny ran over to the dresser and picked up her trademark red lipstick, applying it as fast as humanly possible, then starting on her mascara. _No time for foundation, or eye shadow, eyeliner, hair…dammit! Hopefully he's running late too. _She thought about this for half a second. _What are you kidding? This is Cornelius Robinson, he's always so punctual, timely. It would take a miracle for him not to arrive at eight on the dot. _

* * *

Lewis jumped up and down, pulling his jeans over his hips while he cursed under his breath. Reaching for the white dress shirt as soon as he was sure his zipper was all the way up, he wriggled into it without even pausing to undo the buttons. Glancing in the mirror and grumbling at his unruly blonde hair -which he wasn't even going to bother trying to tame- Lewis pulled on his standard accessories; watch, silver ring (a birthday present from Lucille), and debated in his head over a tie. _Definitely not_. He quickly tugged his runners on, tying them up hastily as he checked the time. 8:05. _Bugger it._

Lewis grabbed his keys and the black jacket he wore everywhere, tearing out of the room at breakneck speed. He had just exited the massive observatory when he realised his wallet and phone where still in his room, and his parents didn't even know he was going out that night. Storming back inside, he raced back to his bedroom and shoved the offending objects in his pockets. _Wait. I'll need my glasses, too, it would be utterly worthless to go to the movies without them. _Flicking his eyes over every surface, Lewis groaned, and ran up into his laboratory. They weren't on the desk, or near the unfinished Travel Tube...so...he checked his inside pocket. Feeling the familiar hard glass against his hand, Lewis sighed and jogged back down the stairs, hurrying over to the kitchen two floors away.

"Mum, where are you?" He called, still running.

"In here, honey. You sound rushed," Lucille added, walking from the living room holding some dirty plates. She saw his flushed face, disgruntled expression and good clothes, and beamed.

"Oh! Who's the lucky girl?" She smiled, and he marvelled for a moment at how well she could read him. Or maybe it was just guys in general.

"Franny Framagucci."

"Well, you have fun. When are you picking her up?"

Lewis looked at his watch, and moaned. "Ten minutes ago." She looked only slightly surprised at this, and he kissed her cheek before tearing off again. "Don't wait up!" He yelled over his shoulder.

* * *

_Excellent. All make-up emergencies covered for, and hair slightly less bizarre. You have my permission to come now Lewis, _Franny smiled, regarding her figure in the dress mirror approvingly. She looked up at the clock, and was rather startled to read 8:15_. Wow. I hope nothing's happened, _she thought nervously, picking up her handbag.

"Gaston? Is there anyone out the front?" She yelled, picking her way through her brother's trash in the hallway, and down the wooden stairway into the living room.

"Why? You waiting for someone?" He yelled back, preoccupied with his latest video game. Their mother looked up from the ironing board, and eyed Franny's outfit.

"You didn't tell me you were going anywhere tonight," She said sternly, and Franny rolled her eyes.

"Mum, I'm only enough now to go on a date without your approval. Did you hear a car pull up?"

Mrs. Framagucci stopped ironing. "You didn't tell me it was a date, either. I thought you didn't have a boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend. Not yet, anyway," Franny blushed, and a distant _Oooo!_ could be heard from Gaston's room. Franny stomped out into the entrance hall, annoyed. She checked her watch, as her mother followed her while folding up a shirt.

"You still haven't told me who it is," She said, eyes trained on her daughter. Franny sighed.

"Lewis Robinson. You happy now?"

Her mother dropped the shirt. "That famous inventor?"

"Yes. Now excuse me," Franny muttered, as headlights illuminated the blinds in their front window.

"Are you being serious?"

"Yes, mum, I'm going now, so talk later-"

"-Franny Jane Framagucci, don't talk to me like that, I'm only asking-"

"Yeah, well, we're both late, so I need to go. Cya later," Franny said angrily, almost wrenching the door open. Lewis had his car door open and was about to step out it seemed, and she waved a hand before getting the door herself.

"Hey."

"Hey, Franny. You look fantastic," He smiled, gazing appreciatively at her while she buckled her seatbelt. She couldn't help but smile back, putting her nosy mother to the back of her mind for now.

"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself. I'm glad you were late by the way, I was kind of behind the times myself."

"Sorry about that, I called you at work and only just got home in time for a shower. No biggie, we still have about...five minutes before we have to sneak in. Plenty of time."

Franny giggled, and sat back in the comfy seat as they veered around a corner in companionable silence. _It would take something remarkable not to enjoy this night._

* * *

"He's your son," Marion told Indy as they sank deeper into the quick sand.

"There's a shocker," Lewis muttered, licking chocolate off his fingers. Franny shushed him, watching Indiana's shocked expression as Mutt came back with a snake for them to grab onto.

"Bite him," Lewis whispered to the snake on-screen, and Franny rolled her eyes.

Her mobile rang, and they both glanced at her handbag as '_Cars_' by Gary Numan sounded throughout the cinema.

"'Cars', eh?"

"Great song, you can't deny it. Hang on," she muttered, flicking the phone open as multiple annoyed people began throughing popcorn in her direction. "H'lo?" She whispered, mouthing 'sorry' to the people around her.

"Franny, what the hell are you doing with that nerd?" A familiar, also whispering voice answered.

"...Zack?"

"Yeah. What are you playing at?"

"Where are you?"

"Two rows back."

Franny glanced behind her, alarmed to see a large number of her friends all staring at the head of yellow hair beside her.

"What's the problem?"

"Definitely not your type. He's a geek."

"He is not. And maybe 'my type' doesn't have to be specified by you," she whispered roughly, and Lewis raised an eyebrow, his baby blue eyes still following the action on-screen.

"How much is he paying per hour for you to sit next to him?" Zack smirked down the phone.

"Excuse me?" Franny's tone was icy, and Lewis looked at her in concern. She smiled grimly at him, then turned her attention back to the phone. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Whatever. Feel free to sit back here if he gets too boring," Zack said, and terminated the call. Franny glowered at the phone, resisting the urge to turn around and point a certain finger. Sighing, she put her phone on silent and chucked it back in her handbag, leaning back into the seat with pale hands gripping the armrests. She tried to follow the movie but couldn't muster the brainpower required. Lewis' arm was lying next to hers, and she absently entwined their fingers, liking the feel of her smaller hand in his. He smiled softly, turning to look her in the eyes for a moment. Franny melted in his gaze, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

* * *

"Franny, wake up," Lewis laughed, shaking her gently. She looked up groggily, her eyes focusing on the closing credits of the movie.

"How much did I miss?"

"Just about all of it."

She sighed, and Lewis rubbed her hand. "I really wanted to see it, too. Sorry," she aplogised meekly.

"Fine by me if you ever wanna watch it again, I thought it was pretty good. Except for the aliens."

"What? Aliens? In an Indiana Jones film?"

"Yep."

"You big liar."

He smiled, shaking his head. "Fine, don't believe me then. You hungry?"

She nodded, and they made their slow way back into the carpark. Franny kept looking around for her 'friends', but they had apparently dissapeared, and she was thankful.

"How tired are you? I can shout you dinner any night you want, but you were dead to the world in there; it's fine if you want to go home."

"I don't know...I really love being here with you Lewis, I'm just exhausted."

He grinned, unlocking the car doors. "I get that feeling all the time, it's a miracle I haven't keeled over tonight. C'mon, let's get you home."

The trip back was fun, playing 20 questions and singing old tunes from the radio at glass-shattering volumes.

"YOU ARE THE DANCING QUEEN," Lewis yelled, as Franny conducted from the passenger seat. Both couldn't stop laughing, and Lewis had had to swerve to avoid two cars in the suburbs.

"...YOUNG AND SWEET, ONLY SEVENTEEEEEEEEEN!"

"DANCING QUEEN, FEEL THE BEAT OF THE TAMBORINNNNNNNNNNNNE!!" Franny shouted almost drunkenly, feeling her cheeks were stretched to their limit.

"Tamborine? I always thought it was mandarin for some strange reason."

"'Feel the beat of the mandarin?!'" Franny howled in laughter, and Lewis just shook his head.

"I was young and stupid last time I heard this song, forgive me," He grinned, his voice slightly hoarse from all their yelling.

Franny was still whacking her fists on the dashoard, feeling extremely glad that she'd worn water-proof makeup- the tears of mirth couldn't stop coming. She didn't even remember what was so hilarious, but the overall happy vibe she felt was tremendous.

"We're here, princess," Lewis smiled over at her, pulling up into her driveway. She moaned in self-pity.

"On second thoughts, I'm starving. What if-"

"Oh no you don't," he laughed, jumping down onto the pavement. Franny sat in the ute smiling at him while he walked around to her door.

"Why thankyou, kind sir," She beamed, as he opened the door and bowed with one arm to his chest. She stepped out gracefully as always, never taking her eyes off the young man in front of her. "I had a great time. When I wasn't snoring against your shoulder, of course."

"Don't worry, the snoring was beautiful and went perfectly with the Indiana Jones' theme song. You even kept in key and everything, it was amazing." Franny playfully smacked his arm, and Lewis laughed.

"The other thing I wanted to say was, I'm so sorry about that phone call, I know you knew who Zack was talking about..." Franny said seriously, twisting a bangle around her arm. Lewis shook his head, smiling.

"It was the best feeling when you defended me like that. You really are the most wonderful girl I've met," He spoke in barely more than a whisper, and lifted a hand to brush a some flyaway hair off her face. Franny's heart swelled at his words, and she took a step closer so they were almost chest-to-chest. "I think the world of you," He continued softly, taking her hands in his. Franny gripped them tightly when he bent his head town towards her, and her eyes fluttered shut as she realised his intentions-

"Franny, if that's you, mum says that it's about time you came home, and you have a pile of washing to put away. Oh, hi, Cornelius."

They both glared at Gaston, who swaggered back inside smugly, knowing he had interrupted something. Franny opened her mouth to apologise for her idiot brother, but Lewis shrugged.

"We can get him back later." She smiled evilly, and he smirked. "I wouldn't want to be Gaston right about now."

Franny pulled his arm around her waist. "Forget about him. Where were we?"

Lewis rolled his eyes, smiling down at her. "Someone's impatient."

"Get used to it, buddy," Franny laughed, standing on tip-toes as she pulled him towards her. Lewis tilted his head to the side as the gap between them quickly disappeared-

_Rinnnnng._

"Dammit, I'm sorry, Franny-"

_Rinnn- _

"_What?_" Lewis said roughly into his phone, turning around to answer it while Franny stood with her hands on her hips.

"Bad time?" Lucille said timidly.

"Yes."

"I'll talk to you later, then."

"Yep. 'Bye."

Lewis switched his phone off, and blushed as he turned back around to face Franny. "Not our night, tonight."

"Yeah," She murmured, and they avoided each other's eyes. The awkward silence between them was lifted when the front door opened again.

"Franny?"

"...Yeah, mum?"

"Are you two gonna stay out there forever or do you want something to eat?"

Lewis smiled at her, and politely declined. He gripped Franny's hand again briefly after their goodbyes, and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll see you soon."

Franny sighed pensively, and hugged herself as he pulled out from the driveway. As soon as he had rounded the corner, she turned on her mother angrily.

"Thanks a lot!"

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Framagucci asked innocently, although she already knew perfectly what she had disrupted.

"You just had to butt in!"

"You two are so cute together, you know that?"

"-And sending out Gaston was completely unnecessary."

"He couldn't stop laughing. It's a shame Art doesn't live here anymore, he would have gotten a kick out of it too."

Franny stormed upstairs, kicking off her shoes and almost running past her brother's room.

"_Franny and Lewis, sitting in a tree.._." Gaston sang loudly.

"Oh, grow up already," Franny muttered, locking herself in the sanctuary of her room. She sat on the bed, looking at the frogs in the large glass fish tank opposite her. Sighing, she took her phone from her handbag and was only minutely surprised when _12 new messages_ flashed up onscreen. Franny glanced through the incredulous 'was that _you_ I saw with Geekus?' kind of notes, lying down on her bedcovers. She didn't even care what her 'friends' said; she'd had the greatest time of her life that night. _Maybe you can actually stay awake next time. If there is a next time, _she thought absently, as she drifted off to sleep fully dressed.

* * *

"Thankyou, mother," Lewis called sarcastically into the kitchen as he entered, chucking his jacket on the dimly-lit counter. Lucille cringed; she hated it when he was annoyed with her.

"Please don't be mad, how was I supposed to know you were busy?"

"You couldn't, I know. I just...yeah. Sorry," He muttered, but couldn't keep the smile from his face as he strode over to the fridge.

"What are you so happy about, then? Did it go well?"

"Mmm," He said around the orange juice carton. She pointed to a glass, but he finished off the box in record time and threw it in the bin. "I guess you could say that. Well, I'm off, I had an idea about the Travel Tubes when I was watching the movie. See you tomorrow," Lewis said as he walked from the kitchen. Lucille sighed, wishing boys' hormones wouldn't stop them from having some normal family conversation. _Whoever you are, Miss Framagucci, you better take good care of our boy, _she thought pensively.

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry for all the jumping about, but it was long enough already without filling in all the gaps. I looked at the little bar on the side and my jaw dropped. Lol...couldn't think of a really sweet ending, kinda lame, but my mind is elsewhere. Any ideas where this could be headed, anyone? I like the whole jealousy plot that one reviewer gave (you know who you are), so any thoughts along that line would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! _**


	4. Lips

**_A/N: Another random idea I had in the middle of my G&T studies. Had to type it up. This story seems to be attracting a fair few reviews and favouriters (is that a word?), so I won't post another chapter until I get a total of at least 30 reviews, which I think is fair because of this very quick update. So if you like the story, review and give me some plot lines, puh-leaaase! Ideas don't just pop into my head, you know. Well, they kinda do, but where do you think I get my inspiration from?! Any one of you could spark my brain into lots of wild and crazy and romantic and fluffy scenes, so go ahead and stop reading this author's note already!_**

* * *

"Franny, this is pointless unless you wanna learn."

"I do!" She replied, swiveling around on her chair. Lewis raised an eyebrow, and she sighed, walking over to where he was sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"OK. Now this here you did wrong, because in order for the dominant genes to show themselves in this specimen..." He looked up, seeing Franny gazing out the window. "...Franny."

"Sorry."

Lewis rubbed the back of his head in frustration as Franny continued to look anywhere but the textbook. "What's up?" He asked finally, when she didn't continue.

She turned back to him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you always this preoccupied?"

She shrugged. "I can't help it, I guess. I'm sorry if I annoy you, I can be a really slow learner at times."

"Which is why I'm here."

Franny cocked her head, smiling. "I thought you were here...because I _requested_ you to be here."

"Because you were whining about your scores in the test."

"Not necessarily."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lewis asked in confusion, as Franny crawled a little closer on the bed.

"It means, I wanted an excuse to spend time with you."

He laughed. "You didn't need to find an excuse, I would have come over if you'd said 'my eyebrows need plucking and I can't find the tweezers, can you help me Lewis?'"

She rolled her eyes. "I hope that wasn't some kind of subtle hint about my hairy eyebrows."

"You kidding me? They're beautiful," He grinned, leaning in closer on the pretext of examining her eyebrows. Franny changed the situation in an instant when she tilted her head up, and Lewis brushed his lips ever so lightly against hers. He immediately pulled back, blushing, but Franny grabbed his shirt and tugged him back to face her. Lewis bit his lower lip as she traced his jaw with a delicate finger, looking slightly uncomfortable in the sudden seriousness of their position.

"Franny..." He whispered, unsure. She looked up and smiled at him, trying to re-assure him that it was OK. Franny's hand left his shirt, curling up and around his broad shoulders into the blond hair at the base of his neck. Lewis leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes, wrapping his arms around her small frame. Franny sighed softly at the warmth and protection he offered, running her other hand up and down his sweater-covered bicep.

"Are you OK?" She whispered softly, and he opened his sapphire eyes to look affectionately into her own chocolate ones.

"Mmm," He mumbled in affirmation, gazing at her lips. His eyes suddenly flicked towards the open door, and she guessed what was on his mind.

"They won't be back for another hour...my phone's off..." She murmured, and his mouth twitched upwards in a smile. "...Just you and me." She bent his head down, and lightly kissed the bridge of his nose, making her way lower at a very slow, very enticing pace. Lewis' breathing quickened and he held her tighter, eyes fluttering shut as Franny took her time exploring every curve and dip in his face.

"Fran," He moaned quietly, and she smiled, caressing his earlobe with her lips.

"Yes...?" She murmured innocently, but turned so she could once again watch his expressions. His eyes had grown dark with a look which was more love than lust. She gasped softly when he didn't wait for her permission to finally slam his mouth against hers; the experience and raw emotions she felt were more than breathtaking. Lewis ran his hands over her smooth back, trying to draw her body even closer to his. Franny's hand left the back of his neck so she could cup his face as they kissed for a long, long time.

"Lewis," She breathed against his mouth, and he abandoned her supple lips for a moment so he could kiss his way down her neck. Franny purred, closing her eyes and holding his head against hers, loving the texture of his skin and his soft hair.

"Do that again," Lewis said, his voice lower than she'd ever heard before.

"Do what...?" She inquired, sighing against his shoulder as he continued to press his lips against her neck.

"That...noise," He muttered, and she smiled, turning her head to whisper in his ear.

"Make me."

Lewis make a slightly strangled sound in his throat, pulling away from the woman in front of him. His whole face was flushed, and his lips swollen from her administrations, she was pleased to see.

"Enough," He panted, unable to keep his eyes off Franny as she slid back onto his lap.

"But I was just getting started," She pouted prettily, and Lewis ran a hand through his hair, bemused.

"Too fast, and you know it."

Franny sighed, climbing off his legs and sitting back on the bed. "So, Molecular Biology..." She said resignedly, pulling the textbook towards her.

Lewis laughed at the absurdity of their situation, and grabbed for the book. Franny held it as high above her as she could reach, which was still in obvious reaching distance for Lewis. He smiled, cocking an eyebrow.

"Too easy."

"Come and get it then," She said playfully, nudging him with her feet. Shrugging, he lifted his hand and wrapped it around her slim wrist, looking down at the rosy face just centimeters below his own...

* * *

"Franny, get up!" Mrs. Framagucci called loudly from the kitchen downstairs. Franny blinked in the morning sun of her bedroom, rising onto her elbows drowsily. She looked down at the bed covers she could have sworn she'd been sitting on a moment before, with a certain man, doing certain things. Rubbing her face tiredly, she tried to distinguish between what was real and what was only in her head. Last night...had been her date with Lewis. Her good clothes were still wrapped around her, crumpled up and creased from all her tossing and turning. _So it didn't happen then_, she sighed, and collapsed back on her pillows in disappointment. _I could have sworn_...she thought sadly, thinking about how perfect he had seemed in the dream, how he held her, how he kissed her. _I guess not. _She grinned suddenly. _Though it's about time I found out for real. _


	5. Blushing

**_A/N: Oh, fiddlesticks. I've busting my pants to post this, and I finally decided to stuff all those people who didn't review (I know you wanted to...lol), and post it anyways. I quite like this chapter and how it turned out, because I was randomly writing with no idea what to write ABOUT...and I just kinda went with the flow. Read right through to the end, I think the story gets better down there. Lots of drama coming up, I think. -rubs hands together in Mr.Burns 'excellent' style- _**

* * *

"Mr Robinson?"

Lewis stopped tapping the desk with his pen, looking up at the expectant Mr Thomas, then the white board. The class was silent for a moment as his eyes flicked over the information, and he was about to nod his assent when something caught his attention near the bottom corner. Mr Thomas noticed the look, and also turned to scrutinize that section of the board. He found the error after a minute, and smiled.

"Ah, yes, I'm glad you picked that one up, it would have had disastrous results had we carried it through our calculations. Anything else you would like to add?"

Lewis thought about it, and nodded. Mr Thomas moved aside as he got up, walking calmly over to the board. Lewis opened his mouth to start speaking, looking out amongst the assembled adults. One adult, to be more accurate. Franny was watching him, smiling as she leaned her head on one hand. She raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue. He smiled back, and cleared his throat, piecing together his thoughts. Franny started applying lip gloss, and he let his eyes linger for a second before he started again. Well, tried to.

Lewis paused, and turned around to look at the massive white board, searching his brain as he stared at the equation. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he bit his lip and looked around to the professor with a sheepish expression coating his features, resisting the urge to glance at the smirking woman in the front row.

"...I've completely forgotten what I was going to say."

Laughter bubbled around the classroom as Lewis blushed bright red, and the professor just shook his head in amusement.

"Totally understandable my boy, it'll come back to you. I hope it wasn't too important, so we may continue?"

"Yes sir," He grinned, sitting back down and ignoring the smile on Franny's face.

* * *

"I seem to have that effect on most guys, don't worry," Franny laughed, as they sat in one of the library tables at noon.

"Modest as always, I see," he grumbled, shifting a pile of books so that he could see her better. She just smiled and opened her bag, taking out a packet of chips and quietly tearing them open in her lap. Lewis raised an eyebrow.

"How the hell do you stay so skinny, girl? Every time I see you eat, it's usually junk."

She stuck out her tongue at him, then licked her way around a chip. Lewis' eyes followed the tip of her tongue, and he mentally kicked himself for thinking indecently. He buried himself back in the books, as Franny finished off her chip and looked over at his spiky blond hair.

"You OK?" She asked absently, finding a wish chip, and thinking hard about her dream last night before snapping it in two.

"Go eat outside," Lewis mumbled.

"You're such a nerd, no one's gonna notice if I'm eating in here. Is it bothering you?" She added, crunching down on one loudly.

"That...doesn't particularly bother me. Unless you keep doing it."

Franny rolled her eyes, and continued to chomp down noisily on every one. Lewis sighed, and waited for the inevitable Ms Mayers. He didn't have to wait long.

"Miss Framagucci, I presume," The middle-aged brunette woman spoke as if from nowhere, hand on her hip as she amusedly watched Franny freeze to the spot. The younger girl turned around in her seat to mumble some form of apology, or snap back a witty retort. Lewis waited with a small smile, and was quite surprised when she thrust the bag in his direction.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist, he really does bring the most fantastic food. He'd probably offer you some too if you lingered long enough," Franny improvised, kicking his leg under the table. Lewis coughed slightly, and followed along.

"Sure would. Don't blame her Ms Mayers, she didn't eat any breakfast, and I offered her an extremely healthy snack to make up for it. She can't help it that she's got terrible manners," He smiled, kicking her back. Mrs Mayers just laughed, walking back amongst the shelves.

"Wow, nicest librarian I've come across," Franny whistled, and Lewis chucked the chips back in her direction.

"I don't hear a 'thank you, Lewis'. If it were anyone else except me eating in here, she'd probably bust you...I'm just naturally charismatic," He grinned, and she shook her head.

"Is that some foreign word for 'cute nerd she has a crush on'?" Lewis snorted, and Franny giggled. "I do, however, object to you saying I have bad table manners."

Lewis looked up, and laughed at her expression. "You know it's true; the only reason Mayers came over was because of you chomping like a pig."

"Oi!" She protested, slapping his arm. Lewis rolled his eyes, smiling at the unique and utterly beautiful woman across from him. She had dug her fingers into the chips again, and was licking the salt off her digits while glaring at him from behind narrowed eyes. The combination was extremely cute. Lewis looked back down at his book when he realized he was staring, and remembered the novel he had wanted to loan.

"I'll be back in a minute," He mumbled, standing up and pulling his jumper straight. Franny nodded absentmindedly, now absorbed in his notes. Lewis ran his hand down the shelves he had traipsed through for hours upon hours, his place of sanctuary. He loved the old library, it reminded him strongly of his orphanage days, which he didn't ever want to forget. Those years had been the basis of his future, and he held them very close to his heart. Picking up the slightly dusty book he wanted from it's correct place on the shelf, Lewis smiled fondly at the cover. It was a science fiction novel he'd first read and understood when he was eight, and the pages still had the power to entertain him. He had first been attracted to it by the author's last name, which happened to match his own; Mia Robinson. Gripping the hard cover carefully, Lewis rounded the corner of the aisle and was wandering back to his table when he caught a glimmer of some conversation nearby. He hated eavesdropping, so he didn't slow down his pace- until his own name cropped up in the whisperings.

"...Cornelius? As in, Robinson?"

"Yep, he just left, I dunno what Franny thinks she's doing, but I heard they went out the other night-"

"Are you serious? Said who?"

"Zack and his mates went to see some crap movie, and those two were sitting a couple rows in front, Mitch reckons they were making out and everything."

Lewis' eyes widened, and he shut his mouth tight to keep from laughing; he didn't know how seeing Franny fall asleep on his shoulder could look anything like kissing. He inched closer to the adjacent bookshelf, his eyes glazing over the titles as he continued to listen closely to the gossiping girls.

"I dunno...that doesn't seem like little Lewis to me. He's such a nerd, I can't see him doing anything like that."

"He's grown up, even I would date him if he asked me out." The other girl laughed.

"Me too, but that doesn't mean his whole personality changed with his body. I dunno if he's kissed _anyone_ yet, let alone Franny."

"It's a little thing called hormones, Minnie." Lewis raised an eyebrow at the bookshelf opposite him. The other girl chuckled, but the more boisterous one continued:

"C'mon, you know any guy would take whatever shot at Franny they could if she showed the slightest interest in them."

"Yeah, but Franny's only been here for a couple weeks and she's failing already. Maybe she's getting tutoring from him. Yeah, that fits, I heard he doesn't even ask for all that much in return, money-wise."

"He doesn't need to. He's like the richest guy in the whole town. What if..." The girl paused, and Lewis leaned his back against the shelf, trying to catch her words. He would feel guilty about this later, but he thought this girl might know something he didn't.

"'What if' what?"

"...If she's only in it for the money. He _so_ likes her, you can see it clearly, and I don't have any trouble seeing him spending his guts trying to make her happy."

"Hardly anyone knows her, you can't just say stuff like that," The other girl replied, and Lewis' friendly feelings towards the girl took an upwards turn.

"Huh. Were you in Molecular Bio this morning? I thought it was hilarious," The first girl laughed quietly, her voice taking on the tone of one who had a lot of hot-off-the-press news to share.

"Really? What happened?" The second girl whispered back excitedly, and Lewis put a hand over his eyes in embarrassment.

"Lewis was gonna explain something on the board, he was standing up and had that best teacher look on his face, you know the one," They both giggled, and Lewis frowned slightly against his palm. "Well, he opened his mouth to say whatever geek speak he was thinking, looked at Franny for a couple seconds, went red, shut his mouth, and completely forgot what he was going to say!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Nope. Was sooo funny. Happened just after Caleb was telling me this joke..."

Lewis tuned out, pushing off the bookshelf and walking very slowly back down the corridor, consumed in his thoughts.

_Was_ there some form of interior motive to Franny's friendship with him? He sincerely doubted it, but it would always be a possibility. Was he really so transparent, that even the girls watching the back of his head could accurately guess what was going on in his mind? Should he feel any different that he was fully regarded as a 'nerd' by everyone in society? Did the thousands of dollars he regularly donated to various charities have _any_ effect on how people saw him, when referring to the 'richest guy in town'? Why was he taking personally what those girls said in the first place? Lewis held the book in his hands tightly, glancing up only when he neared the table his things were spread out on.

Franny looked up as he approached, and he noticed a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. Her face was rather blank, as if she couldn't decide on what particular emotion to display. He sat down and looked at her in concern.

"Franny? What's up?"

She pointed to his notes which he remembered her reading not five minutes ago. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach creeped up into his throat, and he didn't even need to open the folder to realize what she'd seen.

"I'm really sorry-I just-I saw it, and was-please don't be mad, I think it's really-"

"I had wondered where it went," Franny said flatly, still looking between mortified, angry and embarrassed with a range of other emotions mixed in between. Lewis bit his lip, opening the folder to gaze down for the millionth time at the sketchbook page he'd taken from her 'notes' a week ago. Franny reached out a hand to take back the paper, and he hesitated before allowing her to snatch the page and thrust it roughly into her shoulder bag.

"I've gotta go, I have...music class. In half an hour. I'll see you later," She said quietly, and Lewis barely had the time to stutter a reply before she had swept out of the library. He put his head in his hands, sighing deeply as the thoughts rushing through his mind tried and failed to dredge up anything remotely cheerful about the situation. He considered calling her, but knew he was so obviously in the wrong that it would be offensive to even try defending himself. Lewis groaned, ignoring the distant, whispering voices in the aisle behind him. He felt miserable all of a sudden, and wished he hadn't left her in search for a stupid book. He wished he hadn't listened to those stupid rumors. He wished he could just do the right thing for once. _This just isn't my day_, he thought sadly, burying his head in his shoulder.

* * *

"Mandy?" Franny asked quietly as she sat on the town bus. Her phone was pressed tightly against her ear, just in case the old lady next to hear had super-sonic hearing aids.

"Hang on," The girl answered, and she could be heard telling off her hyperactive little brothers in the background. "...I'm all yours. What's up?"

Franny took a shaky breath, pressing a hand to her temple. "You know when I was drawing in our first class..."

"Yeah, I remember. You were absolutely smitten with Cornelius, you couldn't take your eyes off him," She smiled into the phone. Franny didn't smile back.

"Yes. Do you happen to remember me asking you where a certain piece of paper went? I wrote down a name, kinda fancy."

Mandy thought for a second. "Are you talking about a certain blond scientist's name? I thought that was adorable, I do recall you asking about it-"

"He found it. He had it. The whole time," Franny mumbled quietly into the speaker. Mandy was silent for a moment as she processed this information.

"How the hell did he get-"

"I'm not sure. But I know he saw the drawings when he sat down with me just after that class, so probably then," Franny said quietly, and couldn't stop her lower lip from trembling slightly. She didn't even know why she was so upset over Lewis seeing the stupid piece of paper, and grew angry at herself.

Mandy heard the teary yet aggravated tone in her friend's voice, and said soothingly, "Come over my place, we can talk better."

"No thanks, I can't exactly handle your brothers."

"What's your address, then?"

* * *

"...Did he try and explai-"

"Yes, well, I think he did, but I cut him off, I didn't even wanna look at him, he _stole_ my stuff-"

"-which, technically, _did_ involve him just a smidgen-"

"-he could've just asked about it, but _no_, he had to take it-" Franny ranted at the ceiling, Mandy perched on her bed with Frankie sitting in her lap.

"Franny-"

"-I don't even know why this is so important to me all of a sudden-"

"-maybe because you care about what he thinks of you?" Mandy interjected, and Franny turned to stare at her.

"I don't give a damn what he thinks about me!"

Mandy held her hands up in surrender. "Hey, it was just a thought. Can I see the drawing again?"

Franny paused, and eventually nodded. She pulled a balled-up bit a paper from her pocket, and chucked it towards Mandy. "I feel so stupid."

"I bet he does too," Mandy muttered absently, scanning the page and flicking it over. Franny ignored her, still steaming from the ears as she paced around her room in circles.

"Have you seen this?" Mandy asked, looking up and brandishing the page. Franny stopped, confused at the silly question.

"What do you mean, 'have I seen it?' I wrote it!"

Mandy bit her lip, shaking her head slowly as she stared at the page. Franny sat down next to her, reaching out for Frankie as she peered down at the paper.

'Lewis Robinson' was outlined in different curly writing all over the page, and Franny blushed slightly at the unusual work of art. She opened her mouth to confirm that the drawings were unfortunately her own, when Mandy flipped the page over again.

Franny. Franny, Franny, Franny, Franny Franny Franny...

The girl in question covered her mouth and gaped at the familiar scrawl, which filled the entire page much like her own did on the previous side. Every square centimeter. Printed in a pitch black ball-point pen in a thousand different styles fonts and sizes, with waves and swirls and circles and stars and hearts...

She couldn't believe it.


	6. Snap

She couldn't believe it.

"That...is adorable," Mandy declared, and Franny snatched the page back to examine every word. The detail and obvious time and effort Lewis had put just into tracing her name was astonishing, and Franny felt the corners of her eyes prickling as hot tears threatened to slide down her face. Mandy smiled sadly and left the room, wanting to give the young woman a bit of space.

Franny stared at the page, smoothing it out against her leg. Her eyes flicked over to her phone, then back to the paper. She took a deep breath, then reached out her hand...

* * *

Lewis turned the car key, gently revving the accelerator to get the old machine going as his preoccupied mind went through a multitude of possible scenarios. All of which seemed to end with him getting slapped by an extremely irritated Franny. He put the ute into reverse, but didn't pull out of the car park. _I could go and see her...but I don't know how she would react. It wasn't anything too major...I mean, it's not like we're properly dating or anything...but this _is_ Franny Framagucci. Who knows what she's gonna do next. Might as well give it a shot. _

Lewis figured that it would be easier to take the exit on his left, instead of the usual road from behind. Momentarily forgetting the gear-stick in reverse, the pressure Lewis' foot exerted on the upgraded accelerator send his car hurtling backwards. His uncharacteristic stupidity was consequently rewarded by a sickening _crunch_ of metal-on-metal contact. Lewis looked back, alarmed, and his eyes widened dramatically when he saw the damage caused to the bonnet of a brand new, bright yellow Volkswagen bug.

"Oh, God..."

He fell forward onto the steering wheel, half-heartedly waiting for someone to come screaming at him. Lewis couldn't believe how happy he'd been when he woken up in the morning; his day worsened with each passing second. His mobile vibrated violently in his pocket, and he fished it out miserably, running a hand through his spiky hair. He groaned at the caller ID; he didn't need Franny bagging him out right now. But he knew that he couldn't just leave it, Franny of all people knew he always had it on him, and would always answer.

"What?" He sighed resignedly into the receiver, as heavy footsteps and a pair of girls' voices began to grow louder behind him.

"Lewis, I...well, I just wanted to say...I don't- augh, this is stupid-"

"Franny, this is a really bad time, I gotta go, I'm sorry," He said rather roughly, hanging up as a woman his age banged on the windscreen. Lewis winced, and slowly dragged his feet out of the car. The damage looked absolutely drastic from their point of view, and he could barely meet the smoldering eyes of the owner. She looked like she was about to hit him, and he wouldn't blame her if she did. Lewis took a deep breath.

"Let me start off by saying I'm a total jerk and you have every reason to hate me and I will pay you back three times over for the damage because this will almost definitely land on my conscience forever."

She blinked.

"You're absolutely right, jerk. I have every reason to hate you, and I will. This car was my 21st birthday gift, which you have succeeded in ruining quite terrifically." Lewis put his face in his hands as a small group of people began wandering over curiously.

"I don't suppose saying sorry until you beg me to be quiet will help...?"

"No. You'll give me a headache I really don't need right now."

Lewis looked up, pleading with his eyes for some kind of forgiveness. The girl, an extremely pretty blond senior, looked ready to explode. She opened her mouth to say -or yell- something, and Lewis mentally braced himself. The explosion didn't come. He bit down on his lip hard; she seemed to be judging him, sizing him up.

"Cornelius Robinson, right?"

Lewis nodded dejectedly. She seethed for a minute, but eventually spat, "You might wanna call your bank."

She left him next to the mess, feeling thoroughly put out. Lewis ignored the sniggers from the men in the crowd, and the furious glares from the women, leaning into his car window to pick up his mobile. _Fan-bloody-tastic. _

* * *

"He hung up on me," Franny said in shock to the empty room, still holding her mobile out in front of her. "But..." _But why? He isn't mad at me, right? Still, it was pretty rude of him to just end my call like that. No, it wasn't. Like he said, it was a bad time. That's all. You sure about that? Yes. No. _Franny rubbed her face, feeling incredibly..._what do I feel? Am I angry? Not really. Hurt? Yes, a bit. Confused? Ah. Bingo. _

"Franny?"

She turned around, her long black hair swinging behind her. Mandy was at the door, looking at her worriedly. "What's up?"

Franny hesitated."...I called him."

Mandy's mouth formed an 'o' shape, but her expression remained puzzled. "Didn't go well, huh?"

"He hung up on me!"

"...Oh. Why?"

Franny dropped her phone onto the bed, pacing around on the worn carpet. It was a nervous habit she had developed, that had never grown out with age. "I don't know. He said it was a bad time, but he would still be on campus, and I know he didn't have any other classes..."

"Just wait it out, he'll call back."

"I can't, I can't, I can't-"

"Why not, Franny?"

"-I need to talk to him. I know- I'll send him a message."

Mandy sighed as Franny ran back over to her bed, scooping up her phone and opening onto a new message. She looked up, her eyes unfocused on the objects around her as she thought. _What can I say?_

* * *

"-Yes. No. A Volkswagen. I know, I know. Oh, um, yes, I think...she's just here, if you wanna talk with her. OK." Lewis chucked the phone over to the blond who stood with her hands on her hips. She looked slightly less murderous now, but her delicate features were still wrinkled with disgust towards a certain man. Lewis shoved his hands back in his pockets, leaning against the back door of his ute and sighing. He looked up, the gray clouds reflecting his darkening mood. Lewis glanced towards Ashton Campbell, the name of the shapely woman standing not two meters away. She finished the call within a few minutes and tossed his mobile back, and they both stood completely silent for a second, unsure of what to do. The awkwardness was unbearable, and Ashton quickly broke the ice with a sharp, "Nice to see that you can keep your word."

Lewis nodded at the ground, and paused for a second. "When's it getting fixed up?"

Ashton exhaled, and muttered, "Monday."

"You gonna take a bus 'till then?"

"Can't. I live in Moresby."

"So walking is out of the question, then."

"Yes."

"Hitch a ride?"

"None of my friends have the same classes as me, or even close to the same times."

Lewis almost groaned out loud. It was obvious what she was getting to. Now he had to put up with her and that terrifying temper for another four days, carting her back and forth from the opposite end of town. Brilliant.

"It's your own fault, mister. It's the least you can do."

"...I know." Lewis resignedly unlocked the passenger door as she got her things out from her car. Ashton stepped in next to him as Lewis' phone went off, again. He flicked it open, and scanned the contents of the message from Franny.

_H'lo. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but we have to talk. Soon. _

Lewis raised his eyebrows, and Ashton looked sideways at the phone curiously. "Work?"

"Nope." He put the phone on the dash, shutting the car door and buckling in.

"Girlfriend?"

"...No," He replied truthfully, thinking about what he and Franny could possibly 'talk' about.

* * *

"Franny, quit it, you're making me dizzy," Mandy sighed, watching the older girl wearing the carpet down. Franny had sent her message about five minutes ago, and the pacing still hadn't stopped. Lucky for them that Franny's mobile decided to ring.

"Finally!" She dived for the phone, and Mandy had to stifle a laugh as Franny answered breathlessly. "H'lo?"

"Franny, you've been hanging out with Cornelius, right? You shoulda seen what he's done, I've never seen Ashton that mad in ages."

"Um...who is this?"

There was a puzzled pause at the other end of the line. "Bree."

"Oh, sorry. Just been a bit preoccupied. What were you saying? What did he do? Is he OK?"

"Yeah, they're fine, but he's fully smashed the front of her car, you know, the yellow Bug? He must've been going pretty fast as he reversed, but you could tell it wasn't on purpose-"

"Wait, wait, hold the phone! We're talking about the same guy, right? Cornelius Robinson? _Hit a car?_" Franny asked in shock, her hand frozen halfway to her mouth.

"Yes, him. Hit Ashton's car."

"_Ashton's car?_"

"Could you stop repeating me?"

"...Sorry. Where is he now, do you know?" Franny asked impatiently.

"Him and Ashton just left."

"Together?"

"Yeah. I wouldn' t call him, he looked downright depressed, and I don't think sympathy would help. And Ashton had that freaky look in her eye; I feel sorry for him."

"...I gotta go, sorry," Franny said absentmindedly, and barely registered Bree's confused reply before hanging up. Mandy looked over in concern as Franny sank down onto the bed, staring straight ahead. Thoughts swirled around her mind, starting with, _I wonder how big a part I played in this- without even knowing. _

* * *

_**A/N: ****Alrighty. Please forgive me for this very short chapter which I am totally unhappy with, my brain is rather foggy of late. A few things:**_

**_1) This story has the main purpose of allowing you, as readers, to achieve some kind of viewing pleasure. I have encouraged you guys to help ME entertain YOU by writing reviews telling me what you want in this story, but it's still not really happening. I will try to take on as many ideas as I can, so this story is ultimately up to you; I'll just fill in all the gaps and add my bit here and there. Anything outrageous or totally OOC for Franny and Lewis I will have to chop and change, but I trust you guys to be sensible. How long it is, how it ends, what happens, is basically up to you. So if you have anything you want to see happen in this story, please share your thoughts. _**

**_2) If you have been reading these chapters and automatically pick up on my (probably numerous) grammar and spelling errors, you're just the person I need. Anyone interested in being a beta-reader for this story, feel free to PM me, otherwise I'll take a look at some of the already registered people for MTR. Thanks :)_**

**_3) Some random notes: All the names in this story are randomly taken from my school mates, except Mandy for some reason. Don't know where I got that from. And those clever people who have checked out my author page will have noticed that I slipped my own name into the last chapter; sorry, couldn't resist. Heh._**

_**4) I love you all, thanks for reading! Blessings go to **d4ni3ll3, HauntedWhisper714, Mendokusee, lambtastic, BattousaiGrl, River4Jayne, **and** Second daughter of Eve, **for their lovely reviews on the last chapter, plus all those who added this to their Favourite Stories lists. You really made my day! XD**_

**_Gosh. It will be a sad day when my author notes are longer than the chapter. I promise never to burden you with reading something that long again. Catcha! xx_**


	7. Realizations

_**A/N: The last couple of reviews I had with the suggestions really got my head spinning, and I'm much happier with this chapter. XD Thankyou, **mightyduck22_ **_and_ **_Mendokusee**!! This chapter and the next one which will be up shortly are dedicated to you two. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Cornelius? Honey, you OK?"

Bud looked up, glancing at his wife before turning to the blond man storming down the hallway, discarding his jacket and bag near the front door. "...Obviously not," Lucille said with one eyebrow raised. Bud shrugged.

"Probably what's-her-name; one girl alone can drive guys to the brink of insanity. They're always so complicated."

"Are we, now?" Lucille smirked, folding her arms and looking dangerously at her eccentric husband.

"Yep," Bud said brightly, getting on his knees to look for his glasses under the couch. Lucille sighed, watching their son climb the stairs to the second floor wearily. His phone appeared to have gone off, because he fished it out, glanced at the screen, and groaned loudly.

"Men..." She muttered under her breath, tapping the glasses sitting on Bud's nose.

* * *

Franny was on the other end of the phone, and she had started off their conversation by shrieking _'Are you OK?_' at the top of her lungs, then eventually calming down and asking what the hell her name was doing all over the back of that notepaper. "Yeah, about that..." Lewis fell into his swivel chair in the laboratory, phone pressed to his ear and his left hand covering his face.

"Well?" Franny demanded, and Lewis rolled his eyes.

He opened a desk drawer and took out a couple of Zappos, unwrapping them slowly as he muttered, "I would have thought it was obvious."

Lewis listened to the silence on the other end, hardly caring about what she would eventually say. He was emotionally and physically drained by that point after Ashton's hell-on-earth drive home, and wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball between his bedsheets. It was barely seven o'clock, but darkness was quickly gathering around the edges of the massive observatory dome, throwing shadows across the young man sitting at the desk and chewing gum with his phone cradled against his head. After about ten seconds of pause, Lewis turned the loudspeaker on and chucked the phone on his desk amongst the still-unfinished Carl blueprints and various bits and pieces.

"Lewis?" Franny asked tentatively, her voice barely more than a whisper. Lewis looked over at his phone, now biting his fingernails.

"Mm?"

"Do you...still...feel that way? Towards me?"

He stopped biting, and hesitated. This one phone call could potentially alter his life, and he was half-asleep. Not good. Blinking furiously, he focused on her question, thinking hard. "Always have, always will," Lewis said softly, his unfocused eyes staring at something far away. A little girl with perfect black pigtails, to be precise. Arms held up in her trademark karate pose, with her big, brown, wide eyes...

"Really?"

He smiled, thinking about how much they had both changed since then. But her uncertain _Really?_ sounded almost exactly the same as it had all those years ago, when he had told the little girl she was right. "Yes," he replied truthfully, propping his feet up on the messy desk. He absently wondered why it was so much easier to openly admit his feelings after smashing someone's car.

"...I don't know what to say."

_That's new_, Lewis thought tiredly, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses again. "It's your turn."

"My turn? For what?"

"You tell me...why, exactly, I came across such a nicely decorated page of 'notes'. Tell me everything, no exceptions."

Lewis smirked, imagining the indignant look on Franny's face as she tried not to blush. She paused again, and huffed, "You know already."

"Ah, but I want to hear you say it." Lewis unfolded his legs, now leaning against the table with his hands under his chin, smiling at the phone in front of him. Franny sighed in frustration against the speaker, a whoosh of static reaching his ears.

"That's unfair. You've put me in the spotlight."

"You're not the one in a crap mood, who's half-asleep, who has to fork out about ten grand for a stupid mistake. I want to hear it, now."

Franny bit her lip, and said softly, "I really like you."

"Mm. Louder," Lewis commanded to the phone, leaning back and grinning.

"What?"

"Louder."

Franny raised her eyebrows, and said in exasperation, "I really like you!"

"Louder."

"I really like you!!"

"Louder!"

"I REALLY LIKE YOU!"

"Louder!"

"I CAN'T GET ANY DARN LOUDER, IDIOT! I REALLY, REALLY LIKE YOU!"

"You don't have to yell."

Franny slapped her forehead, listening to Lewis' laughter. "Happy now?" She growled, her voice slightly hoarse from her shouting. He smiled.

"I really like you too."

_He's too adorable_, she thought with her hands over her face. There was a comfortable silence between them for about a minute, as they both absorbed what she had just openly admitted. It was a nice feeling.

"Franny?"

"Yes?"

"...You hungry?" Lewis asked sweetly, feeling in his pocket for his car keys. Franny checked her watch, and smiled.

"Starved. Pick me up?"

"Yep. See you soon," He said softly, and ended the call. Suddenly feeling more alive than he'd felt in a week, Lewis jumped up and raced back down the stairs, cheeks starting to hurt from his wide grin. He passed the living room and skidded to a halt, backtracking so he could wave to his mother and father. "Don't wait up."

"You're leaving again? What happened?" Lucille said in surprise, searching her son's smiling features.

"Nothing drastic. Oh, and I almost totaled a car earlier, I dunno if it would be on the news...just so you know. I've got my phone if you need to call me, OK? Bye," Lewis called over his shoulder, as both his parents exchanged confused glances.

* * *

"Franny, come get dinner!"

She sighed, putting down her journal -which she still wrote entries in daily- and yelled downstairs, "I'm eating out tonight!"

"You might have told me before I went and wasted this food!"

"I'm sure Gaston will eat it," Franny laughed, tucking the diary under her mattress, standing up to stretch. She hadn't even bothered to ring Mandy yet, she figured that their little gossip session might last well over an hour. She checked over her outfit once more, and was applying some lip gloss when she heard the low rumbling of a car pull up outside. Picking up her shoulder bag and restraining her legs from skipping downstairs, Franny made her way through her house and to the front door.

"No later than midnight, please," Her mother called, and Franny rolled her eyes. She _badly_ needed her own apartment. Quickly opening and closing the door behind her, Franny squinted as the setting sun hit her squarely in the eyes. Lewis was grinning at her from the front seat, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Hey, you," He smiled as she scooted in beside him. Franny looked up, and stifled a sigh. She wanted to throw herself against him and show him the meaning of the word 'kiss'.

Instead, she contented herself with a shy, "Hey, you," in return. She smirked inwardly, knowing her patience was bound to run out soon. Very soon.

* * *

"...Four days in the office a week, which is excellent. Other than that, I'm in my lab or at college...bit sad, really," Lewis laughed, jabbing at his sushi with a chopstick. They were sitting outside a quaint little noodle bar Franny had recommended, watching the sparkling nightlife of the town light up.

"At least you're doing something with your life," Franny frowned, reaching over to show him, again, how to use the thin pieces of wood. Lewis shooed her away, and picked up the food with his fingers. Franny rolled her eyes.

"You need to know these things Lewis. What if you went overseas, somewhere really exotic, and made a fool of yourself stabbing sushi?"

"I love your hypothetical situation," he smiled, picking up his Coke. "My job won't get me overseas for a couple of decades yet. And by then, the Chinese will have finally discovered the fork. If not, I'll take one over and mass produce them."

"Always thinking of the future," Franny smiled, and she could have sworn his baby blue eyes flickered for a second, but it might have been a trick of the light. The sun had just set, but the gold and crimson sky still remained. It was beautiful.

"We must do this more often," Lewis said softly, also looking out over the dwindling traffic at the pink clouds above. He reached across, his hand lightly touching the back of her palm.

"I'll make sure we do," Franny replied warmly, turning her hand over and holding his firmly. Lewis opened his mouth to say something, but blushed and closed it. Franny was intrigued. "What are you thinking?"

He looked up, and shook his head. "Don't worry. I think you know already," He smiled, gripping her fingers tightly. Franny's impatience finally got the better of her in that moment; and she thought fleetingly about how fast her wish chip earlier that day had worked its magic.

Keeping steady eye contact, Franny shifted closer to the table, her feet just touching his shoes. Her breathing slowed down as her free hand ascended towards his face, stopping at his nose. His smile widened and he closed his eyes as she removed his glasses slowly, careful for them not to catch on his ears. Franny suddenly noticed the faint dusting on freckles on his cheeks, and the smooth slant of his chin, and how utterly perfect his eyes and pale lips were. Setting his glasses down gently on the tabletop, Lewis' eyelashes fluttered open just as Franny's closed, and she leant forward across the table, tilting her head to the side.

The kiss itself was so tender and lovely that Franny couldn't help but sigh against his cheek. Lewis' hand -the one not entwined around her fingers- trailed up her arm and rested behind her neck, amongst the soft black tresses there, pulling her even closer across the table. The world around them seemed to disappear, and Franny didn't care that she was sitting outside a popular sushi bar, in the middle of town, kissing the inventor of the century for the whole world to see. She never wanted it to end, and judging by his actions, neither did he. The warmth and feel of his Coke-flavored lips pressed against hers, his hair tickling her face, his masculine scent and the touch of his hands on her skin was heaven.

"Fran?" Lewis murmured against her mouth after what felt hours. She smiled as he broke the kiss, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. He was even more delectable than what she'd imagined, and had to force herself to pull back a little, looking him in the eyes. He propped his chin up in one hand, and said seriously, "Did you know...I've never kissed anyone before."

Franny couldn't decide if this was news to her or not. "You have nothing to worry about, you're a natural," She laughed, lifting her hand to sweep some long blond strands from his face. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers.

"Wanna get out of here?"

Franny nodded, but said quietly, "You need some sleep. I can tell you're dead tired Lewis, I'm surprised you can keep your eyes open. C'mon," She murmured, pushing her chair back and standing up. He followed her example, and bent to pick up their empty plates as she swung her bag over her shoulder. He smirked inwardly as he went to pay their bill, wondering when he was going to wake up. Because there was no possible way his day could get any better, just after his day couldn't be any worse. _Life is good, _he thought, sidling up to the counter with a grin adorning his mouth.

* * *

"Cornelius, wake up. Now, mister."

Lewis rolled over, refusing to let the voice drill further into his mind. The plush and warm covers were too enticing to even think about getting up. It was Saturday, his one day off work and college, so he fully planned on sleeping until the cows came home. Unfortunately, the voice had other ideas, and ripped his sheets from the bed in an attempt to rouse the sleeping man. The sudden cold on his bare chest made Lewis yelp, and he sat up angrily, wiping at his eyes.

"What is it?" He muttered, reaching for his glasses. The pink blur in front of him quivered for a moment, before his mother loomed into view, clad in her usual nightgown. Lewis looked at the his clock in confusion. "I'm not late for anything, am I?" He asked in concern, his voice rough from sleep.

"No."

Lewis squinted in the early morning light, trying to make out her expression. "What's up?"

Lucille sat down next to him, and paused. "...Is there anything you want to tell me about this Framagucci girl?"

Lewis stared at her. She could have waited until he woke up for this, what was the big deal? Memories from last night flooded into his head, and he held back a smile. "First of all, her name's Franny. What's going on? Why do you ask?"

Lucille looked at him intensely, and finally shook her head. "...No reason."

Lewis watched her leave the room, racking his brains for what she could have meant. His question was answered barely a second later; the phone on his bedside table vibrated loudly. Lewis pulled his sheets back around him, and answered immediately when he noticed Franny's name blaring from the display.

"Hey."

"Have you seen it?" Franny answered in a rush. He frowned at her stressed tone. This was getting annoying.

"Seen what?" Lewis demanded, sitting up a little and pulling his knees up to his chest. This was probably linked to his mother's odd behavior earlier, and he was both curious and wary of what it might be about.

"Our kiss in slow motion on the 'news'!"

He didn't expect that. "What?!" Lewis said heatedly, his mind racing. It was true that the media were turning to all-round 'celebrity' gossip, but he thought this was scraping the bottom of the barrel. During the last few years Invent Co had produced a range of products that had decreased accidents on the road dramatically, and the police force grew stronger every day. The resulting lack of crime and tragedy had forced the reporters to come up with every scrap of information from any possible source and on any subject under the earth. _But seriously..._Lewis shook his head, striding towards the shower.

* * *

"You could have been a little more discreet," Bud laughed as Lewis stared at their television screen in shock. If the footage hadn't been displayed with the blaring title, 'Robinson proves he can win more than a Nobel Prize', the kiss itself looked perfect.

He sat down on their red couch, unable to rip his eyes from the image. He couldn't believe that he'd actually kissed Franny Framagucci, and he bet no one else could either. He replaced the phone to his ear, and said quietly, "Wow."

"What do you mean, _wow_?" Franny growled. Lewis chewed on his lip, rewinding the video and playing it again, now focusing on the voice-over, which explained how a young reporter had spotted them as she filmed something clothes-related down the street.

"Are you watching it too?" Lewis asked quietly.

"Yes. Why?"

"Ignore the headline, and mute the sound."

He could hear a couple of buttons flick over the speaker, and they both turned their attention to the footage. The digitalized couple were so caught up in each other it seemed almost prudish to watch- an odd feeling when the two watching were one and the same as the people on-screen. Franny sighed. "...You're right. Wow."

"It was pretty nice, wasn't it?"

"You're telling me."

"This isn't a big deal, people will get used to it quickly," Lewis assured her, rewinding again.

"I dunno. I'm nervous about what some of my friends will say."

"Like whom?"

"...Zack, for one."

Lewis frowned. "The guy from the cinema?"

"Yeah. He's the only one who hasn't called me yet."

Lewis bit his lip, running a hand through his damp hair. "What did you tell the others?"

He could hear his girlfriend smirk against the receiver. "Exactly what I feel. They got the picture, don't worry. And my mother wants to talk to you, by the way." Lewis swallowed, and Franny laughed. "She's not gonna tell you off, don't worry, just making sure you're not a druggie or anything."

"Sounds sensible. You'll have to hide all that cocaine I stuffed in your shoulder bag after our make-out session."

Franny rolled her eyes, and a faint beeping noise reached Lewis' ears. "I'm sorry, someone's trying to call me. I'll see you soon," She promised, and they said their goodbyes. Franny pressed another button and returned the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Are you _ill_, Franny?"

She frowned. Her dreaded phone call with Zack looked like it had arrived. "Shut it. I'm not gonna take any crap about Lewis, so you can close that trap right now."

"_Lewis_, ey? Whatever happened to Cornelius?" Zack drawled, and Franny gritted her teeth. _Friend or not, he needs to learn a lesson._

_

* * *

**A/N: A cookie goes to whoever can guess what happens next! **_


End file.
